(Beta) ff_aardvark (beta2 download and beta3 screenshots)

[Circuitous]

lmao. Nice.

[o_paft]

Riggggghhtttt.

[Jiggles]

Map looks great. My only gripe is with a few of the color choices/combos: for example, the primary blue trim looks almost purple-ish in game, though some of the other blue trim is a different hue.


The layout is rather clever (I really like the windows - not the standard "sniping battlements"). The lower areas might be a bit too cramped, though the primary ramp is pretty big, so maybe not.

[o_caesium]

Yeah, we don't much like that turquoisey tint to the blue concrete either, but we don't have anything better atm. We're assuming a decent red/blue/generic concrete texture will be released with FF, and intend on using them instead.

And don't worry about the lower areas being too cramped (I assume you mean the network of corridors leading from front door to the generator room), as they are not places a decent defence will defend (there will be no resources there also), and they are easily big enough to bhop down. They are not intended to be primary attack routes, but rather as a device to force the gameplay in the direction I want. A key factor is that I want those corridors cramped enough to greatly discourage the offy taking the flag out that way, which is why they are the size they are

*EDIT*: Paft Dunk, "Have you tweaked the glass? looks improved." I've sorted out the cubemaps for it, so yes it looks better now.

[o_ambex]

Good update of course, of course.

I think your map is cool.

[o_mikequist]

Wow you have made HUGE progress in the last few weeks with this map. The entirety is MUCH better.

I still have one gripe. That stupid texture around the windows in the yard. Yea, you know it. It look's like shit. Please make your own or something. Please. That one texture KILLS this map. And yes, one thing can do that. Great work by the way.

One question: Why do we need access to the generator room if we shut it down via security? Can it be detpacked or something?

[o_caesium]

Originally Posted by MikeQuist

One question: Why do we need access to the generator room if we shut it down via security? Can it be detpacked or something?

The "real-life" justification is that the generator room door opens when you shut the generator down (say for maintainance). The gameplay reason is to open up an alternative attack route when security is down, which has 2 functions: 1. It gives spies a fighting chance. 2. It forces the defense to use a strategy that will be fun for both offy and def (ie basically stops them being lame and putting 2 defenders on the main ramp..). I only want this route open when security is down for several reasons, but mainly because security is already fairly easy to get down, and also to increase the incentive for getting security (and hence this in turn will also push the defense into a strategy that's fun if security has more value to them).

I'm not going to write about the defense strategies I have in mind that I'm going to encourage by the resource placement etc, as it's probably much more fun to let ppl figure their own ideas out when FF is out (oh happy day). I just want to say that I have got several quite different ones in mind that I think will all be great fun for both teams, and as well as encouraging them I'm trying to stop any strategies that will be lame (sorry bokko). So basically, don't worry, I'm thinking hard about it.

Point noted about the front of base texture btw :P It's obviously extremely easy to change, so if nothing good turns up when FF comes out we'll make summing.

[o_nezumi]

As for the texture outside the windows, I'd reccomend using metalwall013a for red's base.

...and metalwall013a_blue for blue's base.

If you thought it'd look good. It's not normal mapped or anything but it looks pretty good in big stretches.

[o_caesium]

Thanks, Nezumi, it certainly looks very promising so I'm doing a full compile with those textures right now. I'll post some pictures later hopefully. It's amazing how easy it is to miss good textures when you're trying to browse through the hundreds available. Hopefully this will look very nice in game, but we'll have to wait and see.. Anyway, thanks.

PS. I'm still in need of a nice sunny skybox that lines up right along the edges. If anyone has DOD:S and knows how to use gcfscape please please message me. I've been trying for ages now, but sadly anyone I find who has DOD:S seems incapable of operating gcfscape (lol?)...any connection? :P

[o_mikequist]

I downloaded it and played it. It's cool. But a few gripes. Why would you let people by the other way even if the lasers are on? Would we really need to turn the lasers off?

I liked the basement 2fort thing, HAHA!

But note: if you intended people NOT to go down that windshaft...they can if they duck and curl along the right wall.

And why do the teleports in basement send me into a red tube that I can not escape? Just a note...

[o_luminous]

most of those have been answered thru the thread mikequist

[o_tercel]

i just tested the map a bit:

the pebble/rockish texture right around the water in the yard seems to glitch a little as you walk toward it. it seems like it slides off itself kind of like at night if you drive a car and you cant see over the top of a hill. (i have a geforce 6800 so it isnt a video card problem)

also, what is the point of the bathroom...is it going to be det-packable or something like that? if you cant detpack it i dont really see a reason to have it there seeing as there would be no reason for defense or offense to be in it.

i love the camera idea, it looks really nice inside the base and looks exactly like a plasma TV lol.

lastly, the random blood splatterings and piles of vomit seemed uneccesary. all the bases in TFC that i can think of are clean as a whistle and imo it looks better that way (considering we will make it dirty anyway) :P

in general the map looks awesome so far--keep up the good work

[o_geokill----->]

Originally Posted by Tercel

also, what is the point of the bathroom...is it going to be det-packable or something like that? if you cant detpack it i dont really see a reason to have it there seeing as there would be no reason for defense or offense to be in it.

Detail?? Yeah It's detail for sure

[o_alligator]

the bathroom is for an emergency....when one gotta go he has to go

[o_caesium]

Originally Posted by Tercel

the pebble/rockish texture right around the water in the yard seems to glitch a little as you walk toward it. it seems like it slides off itself kind of like at night if you drive a car and you cant see over the top of a hill. (i have a geforce 6800 so it isnt a video card problem)

I don't know what you mean, so if you could take some screenshots or something please showing the problem. I haven't noticed anything odd regarding that on my system. Maybe you are taking about the way it renders things as you move towards them (in which case put your AF settings up in your gfx card driver settings, and also I assume you've got the game set to trilinear filtering). If those don't help, please post some screenshots.

Originally Posted by Tercel

also, what is the point of the bathroom...is it going to be det-packable or something like that? if you cant detpack it i dont really see a reason to have it there seeing as there would be no reason for defense or offense to be in it.

lol 3 reasons: 1. Comedy... 2. Nice way to make the bottom corridors more interesting, as it doesn't impede gameplay at all and FPS isn't a problem down there anyway. 3. Bokko has a small bladder and always needs to pee in matches, and Mr Aardvark doesn't like people peeing in his lake.

Originally Posted by Tercel

lastly, the random blood splatterings and piles of vomit seemed uneccesary. all the bases in TFC that i can think of are clean as a whistle and imo it looks better that way (considering we will make it dirty anyway) :P

This is indeed a matter of debate. The main reason for all the splats/splodges (technical phrases btw) is basically they greatly help hide the repeatingness of the textures used on large areas. I'm fully aware that once a match starts it will get all nice and messy, but I see no reason not to add additional splats/splodges to the map so that the repeatingness is hidden as best as reasonably possible at the start also. I've tried to place them in moderation, otherwise they themselves will obviously start to repeat... Anyway, would be useful if others could let me know their thoughts on this. Imo it looks an awful lot better with the splats/splodges than without!

[o_ohcanep]

Originally Posted by Tercel

also, what is the point of the bathroom...is it going to be det-packable or something like that? if you cant detpack it i dont really see a reason to have it there seeing as there would be no reason for defense or offense to be in it.

As Caesium said it's there for comedy (besides Mr. Aardvark's reasoning). What would you "detpack" it for? No rational extra routes come to mind... sure it would add to the comedy if you could just blow the room and it's furniture. Slightly pointless, no?

Caesium, guess you've planned to place the CP at the main ramp? Too early to speculate what facilities should be given for the cap'er seeing as the ramp is quite wide after all? I did notice this suitable-for-bag alcove though.

ps: floor texturing at the main ramp and at the glass tubes remind me of GTA2, haha such a great game.

[o_tercel]

Originally Posted by Caesium

This is indeed a matter of debate. The main reason for all the splats/splodges (technical phrases btw) is basically they greatly help hide the repeatingness of the textures used on large areas.

i figured it was something to that effect. however, most maps do have this same repeating of textures and i never really had a problem with it. some rooms are going to have the same wall/floor/ceiling texturing throughout, but i think most people have gotten used to it. and i do agree the bathroom is quite funny

oh, and the commands you listed in the text file were extremely helpful. i did the rampslide from main ramp to button but i dont know how fast FF concs will push so I guess we will see if that conc will actually be possible.

[o_caesium]

Ohcanep, the cap point is the glass bit on the floor at the top of the main ramp.

Tercel, yes ppl do get used to textures repeating, but that's not a reason not to try to make it look better if we can imo. About the speed of offy as they come come flying up the main ramp after water skimming outside: I'm going to tweak the small semi-submerged front door ramp (friction and maybe even a pusher) as required so that offy come in at the speed range I want them to. This will require lots and lots of testing, but I can't do any of it until FF is out. So basically, don't worry, there will be a lot of very cool offy moves and also some very skillful ones involving multiple concs I'm also really looking forward to playing soldier at the top of the main ramp! I think with the right resource placements, all the def positions will be awesome fun as well as offy.

There are several ways in which we are thinking of tweaking the small semi-submerged front door ramp in order to get all this as we want. A really neat idea is to have the friction changing with player speed (ideally so that it actually accelerates the player more the faster he is going). This has a great advantage that it will feel pretty normal for a player just walking over it. However, we can't seem to make this work atm in HL2DM, but apparantly we may be able to in FF. If that fails, we have 2 other options: 1. simply lower the friction on it (this may be sufficient, but we don't know until FF is out). 2. Put an actual push entity there. You never know, maybe it's right as it is already...no way to tell without FF. Anyway, we have plenty of ideas!

Finally, just thought I'd let you know what we're working on atm. Aside from optomising all the brushes, and playing with front of base textures, we're currently making a speedometer that gives a speed readout to offy as they come skimming in across the water! We've got it working nicely, and just need to try to make it look cool now.

[o_ohcanep]

Originally Posted by Caesium

Aside from optomising all the brushes, and playing with front of base textures, we're currently making a speedometer that gives a speed readout to offy as they come skimming in across the water! We've got it working nicely, and just need to try to make it look cool now.

How elegant. Any hope of screenshot?

[o_bokko]

HERE IT COMES, BITCH! 241